Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art · jewelry
String of Shell, Faience, and Stone Beads
Description
Object Label: The three necklaces in this case were discovered in graves. Ancient Egyptians apparently wore jewelry not only as adornments but also as protective symbols. Beads of different materials may have been chosen for the symbolic qualities of their colors. The amulet represents the head of a powerful bull—or possibly a nurturing cow—and was probably thought to transfer that animal’s characteristics to its wearer. Caption: String of Shell, Faience, and Stone Beads, ca. 3300–3100 B.C.E.. Shell, faience, carnelian, limestone, lapis lazuli, Largest bead: 5/8 x 3/8 in. (1.6 x 0.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 09.889.304. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 09.889.304 tier-2
- BKM-Object 3274 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.